| Date | 17 November 2026 |
| Time | 12.00pm-3.30pm AEDT |
| Format | Live Online & Recorded. The recording can be viewed until 17 December 2026 |
| Pricing | $440. Price includes gst. |
| CPD | This PD addresses 7.2.2. of the Standards |
| Other related LawSense Events |
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Program
12.00 LawSense Welcome
12.05 Opening Remarks
Rodney Davies, Deputy Principal – Head of Minimbah Campus and Director of Primary and Early Years, Woodleigh School (Victoria)
12.10 Understanding the Limits of Age-Appropriate Sexualised Behaviours in Primary School Students
- Setting the Scene: Why primary schools can no longer assume this is a secondary school issue: national prevalence, earlier exposure to sexual content online, and duty of care
- Developmental Norms for Under-12s: What is age-appropriate curiosity versus a sexual behaviour problem? Using the Stop It Now and Friedrich frameworks in plain language
- Sexual Behaviour Problems in Primary-Aged Children: Risk factors (including trauma exposure), warning signs, and why early intervention matters so much
- How Disclosures Happen at This Age: Children rarely use adult language, recognising indirect disclosure, play-based communication, and behavioural signs
- Mandatory Reporting Across Australia: A plain-language overview of how obligations differ across states and territories, and practical steps for school counsellors regardless of jurisdiction
- Immediate Response and Safety Planning: Keeping both children safe within the school environment while the process unfolds
- Working with Parents: Responding to distressed and sometimes disbelieving parents on both sides
- What the School Counsellor Can and Cannot Do: Boundaries of the therapeutic role, referral pathways, and self-care
- Case-Based Learning: One primary school vignette with group discussion
- Resources and Takeaways: Key frameworks, recommended reading, and national referral resources (e.g. Child FIRST equivalents by state, Emerging Minds, Australian Childhood Foundation, eSafety Commissioner)
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, Child, Adolescent and Family Psychologist, Michael Carr-Gregg
1.05 Break
1.15 Examining a School’s Rights, Duties and Obligations in Dealing with Allegations, the Students Involved and Other Students
Exploring Key Laws and Definitions of Age-Appropriate Sexualised Behaviours
- Examining the age of criminal responsibility
- Examining how the law assesses whether sexualised behaviour is age appropriate
Understanding the Extent of The School’s Duties
- Examining the obligations of the school where the alleged incident:
- is age appropriate but here are ongoing concerns with parents
- is not age appropriate
- occurred outside school hours or activities
- involves students from other schools
Examining When Reporting Obligations to Agencies and Police Are Triggered
- Evaluating when legal obligations to report and notify police are triggered
- What steps should be taken where there are only suspicions of offending?
- Understanding the obligations and options of the school where the alleged survivor/victim does not wish the matter to be disclosed, investigated or reported or is not cooperative
Navigating Privacy Considerations
- Dealing with requests from students you not inform their parents
- Examining potential risks and conflicts where the school counsellor is involved with both students
- Understanding the extent to which you should or shouldn’t disclose allegations or investigations to school staff members
- Balancing privacy obligations with your duties to other students and parents
Implementing Interim Measures
- Examining the extent of your obligations to implement interim measures pending investigations
- Exploring best practice risk assessments
- Managing challenging scenarios and learning from case studies
Communicating with the Students, Parents and School Community
- Understanding how communications between the school and parties can and has been used in evidence
- Communicating in a way that is supportive, but considers the legal position of the parties involved, including the school
- Exploring optimum approaches to communicating with parents and the school community
Managing Outcomes, Risk and Discipline
- Assessing risk and managing circumstances where:
- no action is taken against the alleged perpetrator by police or they are exonerated
- there is no action by police, but the school investigation indicates wrongdoing or inappropriate behaviour by the alleged perpetrator
Ben Tallboys, Principal, Russell Kennedy; Legal Counsel, Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA)
2.15 Break
2.25 Navigating Investigations: Understanding When, To What Extent and How the School Should Investigate and Dealing with Police
Investigating Suspicions, Allegations or Where Police Take No Action
- Understanding when an investigation is required and the extent of any investigation
- Examining the potential limits on a school investigating while other agencies, such as police are involved
- Understanding the potential role of legal privilege
- Exploring when an external investigator should be used
- Obtaining evidence from students:
- exploring best practice approaches to interviewing primary age students
- examining rights and obligations in taking or searching student belongings, phones or laptops
- understanding particular restrictions on copying or storing material regarding sexualised behaviours
- navigating rights and obligations and dealing with hearsay
- Making appropriate findings and deciding reasonable consequences
Dealing with Police
- Police interviewing students or staff:
- what are a school’s rights and obligations to participate?
- what are the rights of the alleged student perpetrator and student witnesses the police wish to interview
- supporting a student or participating in police interviews – key matters to consider
- Examining your rights and obligations in meeting requests for documents or other material from the police.
- Providing a witness statement and giving evidence to police – what is your exposure and how should this be managed?
Fiona Manderson, Principal, Aloncaws Mediation & Investigation; Inhouse Counsel, Hillcrest Christian College
3.25 Closing Remarks
3.30 Event Close
Presenters / panelists include:
 | Dr Michael Carr-Gregg is one of Australia's highest profile psychologists working in all forms of media. A successful author, speaker, broadcaster and mental health advocate, Michael works in private practice in Melbourne. Michael has a long career in mental health and advocacy with respect to youth including being a founding member of the National Coalition Against Bullying; he was appointed the Queensland Government’s expert on anti-bullying; and headed a NSW Government review in to the non-educational use of smartphones in schools. |
 | Ben Tallboys provides sector-specific, practical legal solutions to schools across Australia. Ben is a passionate and effective advocate for principals dealing with complex matters relating to parents, staff and students, as well as their own employment. |
 | Fiona Manderson has been a practicing solicitor for more than 20 years working in traditional law firms and Legal Aid Queensland before a nearly six-year stint as Head of Compliance, Risk & Legal at Hillcrest Christian College. She has now opened her own business – Aloncaws Mediation & Investigation and is transitioning out of her inhouse role at Hillcrest. Fiona has significant experience in family, child protection and domestic violence law, employment law, discrimination, defamation, consumer protection, and contractual disputes |